Advertisers have traditionally pursued television advertising by transmitting messages to the viewers' televisions and evaluating the effectiveness of the advertising through polls and surveys. This method of evaluation was necessary because traditional broadcast and cable transmission methods were limited to one-way communication. In other words, traditional broadcast and cable mechanisms allow for transmission of a television signal from the source to the destination, but did not allow for an alternative television signal to be transmitted from the destination back to the source.
Recently, advancements in cable signal transmission technology have allowed for transmission of a communications signal from a source to a destination as well as a separate, simultaneous communications signal from the destination back to the source. Perhaps the most widely used example of this bi-directional communications technology is in cable modems. This bi-directional communications technology is also used when ordering pay-per-view movies through on-screen commands via a digital cable decoding box. Similar bi-directional communications technology also exists for multiple communication paths over telephone lines (i.e. DSL). Despite these recent advances in communications technology, advertisers continue to advertise to television viewers in the same manner they have used for the past fifty years. Viewer interaction with the advertisers would be a much more efficient method of advertising. Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus and method of advertising to television viewers which allows the viewer to interact with the advertisement.
A number of different types of interactive cable television systems exist. FIG. 1 is an illustration of the hardware typically used to implement these systems. In FIG. 1, the viewer 20 communicates with the cable box 26 via a remote control 22. Remote control transmission means are well known in the art and include infrared, ultrasonic, wired, and RF signaling. The cable box 26 is connected to the cable provider 30 via a cable network 28. The cable box 26 displays output on the screen of the television 24. Many alternate embodiments of the hardware in FIG. 1 are available including televisions with internal cable boxes and Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs) or Digital Video Disc (DVD) players with internal cable boxes. Other alternate embodiments substitute a pointer, keyboard, mouse, or other viewer input device for the remote control 22. The term cable provider as used herein also includes satellite television providers. Additionally, the cable network 28 may be either wireless or wired, including coaxial and optical cables.
The prior art discloses methods in which the viewer previews the television shows that will be available on the various television channels. These programs are the on-screen equivalent of the TV listings in the newspaper or the TV Guide®. While they appear to be interactive, in fact they merely allow the viewer to browse through a large amount of information that is periodically updated. Moreover, this technology does not allow the viewer to transmit his interests or desires back to the cable provider. Therefore, a need exists for a method which allows a viewer to express his interest in a television commercial and communicate that interest back to the advertiser.
The prior art has addressed the need for viewer interaction with advertisements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,534 (the '534 patent) entitled “Context-Based Transactions Using Broadcast Advertising” discloses a method in which the viewer can dial a special phone number to order a specific product when the product is advertised. United States Patent Application Publication 2001/0032333 A1 (the '333 application) entitled “Scheduling and Presenting IPG Ads in Conjunction with Programming Ads in a Television Environment” discloses a system that delivers advertisements while a viewer is viewing an interactive programming guide. European Patent Application EP 1 071 287 A2 (also EP 1 071 287 A3, collectively the '287 application) entitled “Television Advertisement Delivery System and Method” discloses a subscription service in which the advertiser pays the viewer's cable fees and the viewer agrees to watch targeted advertisements. What is needed beyond the '534 patent, the '333 application, and the '287 application is a method of allowing the viewer to express interest in an advertised goods and/or services which is implementable over the viewer's television and cable connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,446 B1 (the '446 patent) entitled “Method and System for Supporting Interactive Commercials Displayed on a Display Device Using a Telephone Network” discloses a subscriber service in which the viewer is able to order additional information regarding a product through a specialized telephone device. The '446 patent is limited in that it requires special equipment and requires implementation over both the telephone and cable connections. What is needed beyond the '446 patent is a method for allowing viewers to express their interest in a product that does require specialized equipment and is implementable over the viewer's cable connection while leaving the viewer's telephone connection available for other uses.
While the prior art has fulfilled some of the needs in the art, it does not disclose a method for the viewer to indicate interest in goods and/or services over the cable system. Consequently, a need still exists for a method for allowing a viewer to express an interest in advertised goods and/or services. Moreover, a need exists for a method for designating how the advertiser will contact the viewer who has expressed the interest in goods and/or services. The need extends to a method for allowing the viewer to request specific types of additional information about the advertised goods and/or services.